Remarkable Demonstrations of Mental Strength

[aa456]

Yuna got a standing ovation, according to the commentators. I watched the video again and she was
applauded for landing the 3 lutz.

I apologize for digressing from the thread topic but I've read first hand account of a Mao Fan who was there at Sochi and mentioned that there were people in the audience who laughed when Mao fell and walked away in the middle of her SP performance. I think most skaters had a tough time with the crowd. The whole mirror thing sounds like a bit of an exaggeration though.

and regarding Yuna's 2nd Lz, that was poorly landed. doubt she'd get the most "cheers" for her worst-landed jump.

Sochi felt like a pressure cooker to me. I think the top 3 + Mao should be applauded for handling it well.

 

[gmyers]

Not this nonsense about the sochi crowds again! Everyone can watch the videos and see nothing but respect. It's all on video! Yes the crowd supported russians most. What a horror! what a scandal! Obviously everyone knows skating events had a cheer order! Yuna gets most cheers. Mao second most cheers. Kostner third most. Russian only get respectful or muted cheers. The ladies cheer order was clear! It was violated by sochi crowd!!! Horror! Horror!

 

[Ester]

Not this nonsense about the sochi crowds again! Everyone can watch the videos and see nothing but respect. It's all on video! Yes the crowd supported russians most. What a horror! what a scandal! Obviously everyone knows skating events had a cheer order! Yuna gets most cheers. Mao second most cheers. Kostner third most. Russian only get respectful or muted cheers. The ladies cheer order was clear! It was violated by sochi crowd!!! Horror! Horror!

Yes, totally agree.:agree:I thought Sochi was great and saw no disrespect towards non-Russian skaters.

 

[cruzceleste]

Maybe we can come back to the original subject.

I think Shizuka Arakawa has always been a very strong woman, in the moment when she need it the most she surpassed the favorites to comeback with a OGM back in 2006 in Turin.

 

[Mrs. P]

Maybe we can come back to the original subject.

I think Shizuka Arakawa has always been a very strong woman, in the moment when she need it the most she surpassed the favorites to comeback with a OGM back in 2006 in Turin.

:agree:

Considering her struggles the previous season and also just the pressure of getting Japan's only Olympic medal...she certainly rose to the challenge!

 

[anyanka]

How about ...

• Dan Zhang after that scary fall on throw quad in Torino was remarkable.
• Jeremy roared through his Sochi SP with a real fire in his belly when he was almost down for the count.
• Mao turning it out for her Sochi FS, it was a thing of beauty and a performance for the ages.
• Yuna retaining her calm and composure through her two programs at Sochi, especially after the rough warm-up in the SP (and the crowd did cheer her on, they knew how difficult that was for her) and knowing that Adelina tore the roof off the place, to deliver two beautiful career-capping performances.

And the all-time champ: Joannie Rochette in Vancouver. Full stop, mic drop.

 

[kwanatic]

Countless times for Michelle Kwan. Nationals, worlds, the Olympics...so many clean skates under pressure. Her consistency and mental toughness/focus were unbelievable throughout the course of her career.

Of course, Yu-Na Kim. For half of her career it was the pressure of needing to out-skate Mao, but after 2009 up until Sochi, she was pretty much expected to win everything she entered. 2011 was the last time she showed any kinds of jitters. She only competed at two major events after that (worlds 2013 and Sochi) but it was remarkable to see her rise to the occasion in both instances despite the pressure.

Though people may not want to hear it, Adelina Sotnikova exhibited extreme focus and mental toughness in Sochi. She'd never skated that well in back to back performances in her life and yet she managed to do it on the biggest stage in the sport in front of a home crowd. Scoring controversy aside, that was incredible for her.

Carolina's Sochi performances...all three of them. Her SP in the team event was flawless and she backed it up with two of the best performances of her life in the individual event. Again, it's incredible...

Mao's FS in Sochi was unreal. To come out and nail all of those jumps after the soul-crushing disappointment of her SP was so inspiring. Also Mao's FS in 2008 after that horrible fall. That's when I knew Mao was a real fighter...(Side note: say what you will about the scoring in Sochi but the overall quality of skating in that event was some of the best I've ever seen!)

Elena Radionova. You know she's still very new and hasn't really won any major events (yet) but that girl has laser focus. That fall on the 3L she had at the GPF this year was the first miss of any kind she'd had in a year...a whole year. She's the most consistent skater I've seen in IDK how long... Elena was very consistent in her junior days but she's even more consistent now. That girl is a rock.

 

[jenaj]

I apologize for digressing from the thread topic but I've read first hand account of a Mao Fan who was there at Sochi and mentioned that there were people in the audience who laughed when Mao fell and walked away in the middle of her SP performance. I think most skaters had a tough time with the crowd. The whole mirror thing sounds like a bit of an exaggeration though.

and regarding Yuna's 2nd Lz, that was poorly landed. doubt she'd get the most "cheers" for her worst-landed jump.

Sochi felt like a pressure cooker to me. I think the top 3 + Mao should be applauded for handling it well.

I'm just going by the video and she did get applause for the 3-lutz. Sometimes skaters get applause for holding onto jumps, even if they are not perfectly done. I agree that the Olympic pressure was higher than normal at Sochi because of the partisan crowd. But shining mirrors and yells of "fall" seem like exaggeration to me, too.

 

[anyanka]

Countless times for Michelle Kwan. Nationals, worlds, the Olympics...so many clean skates under pressure. Her consistency and mental toughness/focus were unbelievable throughout the course of her career.

Of course, Yu-Na Kim. For half of her career it was the pressure of needing to out-skate Mao, but after 2009 up until Sochi, she was pretty much expected to win everything she entered. 2011 was the last time she showed any kinds of jitters. She only competed at two major events after that (worlds 2013 and Sochi) but it was remarkable to see her rise to the occasion in both instances despite the pressure.

Though people may not want to hear it, Adelina Sotnikova exhibited extreme focus and mental toughness in Sochi. She'd never skated that well in back to back performances in her life and yet she managed to do it on the biggest stage in the sport in front of a home crowd. Scoring controversy aside, that was incredible for her.

Carolina's Sochi performances...all three of them. Her SP in the team event was flawless and she backed it up with two of the best performances of her life in the individual event. Again, it's incredible...

Mao's FS in Sochi was unreal. To come out and nail all of those jumps after the soul-crushing disappointment of her SP was so inspiring. Also Mao's FS in 2008 after that horrible fall. That's when I knew Mao was a real fighter...(Side note: say what you will about the scoring in Sochi but the overall quality of skating in that event was some of the best I've ever seen!)

Elena Radionova. You know she's still very new and hasn't really won any major events (yet) but that girl has laser focus. That fall on the 3L she had at the GPF this year was the first miss of any kind she'd had in a year...a whole year. She's the most consistent skater I've seen in IDK how long... Elena was very consistent in her junior days but she's even more consistent now. That girl is a rock.

to all of this

 

[Ophelia]

Eh...I would hold out on Radianova. Everyone was going gaga over Lipniskaias steely focus and nerves last year, and loik what happened this year.

 

[Krunchii]

I'm just going by the video and she did get applause for the 3-lutz. Sometimes skaters get applause for holding onto jumps, even if they are not perfectly done. I agree that the Olympic pressure was higher than normal at Sochi because of the partisan crowd. But shining mirrors and yells of "fall" seem like exaggeration to me, too.

Maybe it's different for where you are sitting in the arena, someone could have been sitting close to a group of people who were jeering and it'll affect their view of the crowd. samkrut who is on the forum said the crowd cheered for for everyone and he was in Sochi but I talked to another fan she said for Yuna's second 3Lz she didn't hear any cheering or jeering but kind of a really loud collective gasp and some clapping. She also told me during Yuna's performance the cheering is was kind of convoluted and she that she did hear people chanting "Russia" during the performance and it got louder when she was waiting in the Kiss&Cry, it was mixed. If it was really as she said, to sit there and smile through that is a demonstration of remarkable strength to me.

I went to a meet and greet with M/MT 1.0 before they split after Worlds and they told me it was polite for all the events they attended for non-Russian athletes but Russian athletes the crowds would really come to life. Dylan told me himself that he thinks he got a louder reception than other non-Russian athletes because of his last name, he told me this while laughing.

 

[kwanatic]

Eh...I would hold out on Radianova. Everyone was going gaga over Lipniskaias steely focus and nerves last year, and loik what happened this year.

Like I said, she hasn't won any major major titles yet (though at this point winning Russian nationals is probably harder than winning worlds) but she's demonstrated quite a bit steely nerves over the past year. Even last year when we were all applauding Julia's nerves, she never as consistently clean as Elena has been this season.

If Elena can skate the way she's been skating at Euros and worlds, I'll have to give her her due...

 

[Sandpiper]

Eh...I would hold out on Radianova. Everyone was going gaga over Lipniskaias steely focus and nerves last year, and loik what happened this year.

Yulia made mistakes in several of her LPs last year (CoR, Sochi individuals, Worlds). Elena's been doing back-to-back perfect LPs all season long. Of course we don't know what'll happen at Worlds/Europeans, but even if she messes up both, she'll still have a better LP record than Yulia did last year. That's pretty insane. I don't think I've seen so many back-to-back perfect programs since... I dunno, maybe Plushenko in the 2000-2001 season?

Even if Elena messes up every single performance in the coming years, it doesn't take away from what she achieved this year. Therefore, on that note, I'd like to nominate Yulia at the Olympics Team Event. How she held it together was incredible, and she should be commended for it no matter what happened afterwards.

 

[kwanatic]

Yulia made mistakes in several of her LPs last year (CoR, Sochi individuals, Worlds). Elena's been doing back-to-back perfect LPs all season long. Of course we don't know what'll happen at Worlds/Europeans, but even if she messes up both, she'll still have a better LP record than Yulia did last year. That's pretty insane. I don't think I've seen so many back-to-back perfect programs since... I dunno, maybe Plushenko in the 2000-2001 season?

Even if Elena messes up every single performance in the coming years, it doesn't take away from what she achieved this year. Therefore, on that note, I'd like to nominate Yulia at the Olympics Team Event. How she held it together was incredible, and she should be commended for it no matter what happened afterwards.

:thumbsup: to all of that.

 

[kiara_bleu]

If it is your home country and your local top figure skater has a legitimate chance of gold, would you be as critical if the audience showed the same behavior as they did in Sochi? Food for thought... I actually don't particularly care how the audience reacts so long as they are not doing anything that can endanger the skaters. It is a sport and these are elite athletes. That's why you have the GPFs, Worlds, and Olympics being held in different countries, because you know you will be getting different crowds and reactions. I think audience support can be a double edged sword anyway. Yuna and Javier fumbled when facing home crowds at their respective GPFs. Sotnikova seemed to feed off the energy at Sochi, especially at the FS when it was clear she was Russia's only hope for a medal at the ladies competition. The fact that Sotnikova was able to use that overwhelming support to fuel her instead of allowing the pressure to crush her showed her resilience and mental strength.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

If it is your home country and your local top figure skater has a legitimate chance of gold, would you be as critical if the audience showed the same behavior as they did in Sochi? Food for thought... I actually don't particularly care how the audience reacts so long as they are not doing anything that can endanger the skaters. It is a sport and these are elite athletes. That's why you have the GPFs, Worlds, and Olympics being held in different countries, because you know you will be getting different crowds and reactions. I think audience support can be a double edged sword anyway. Yuna and Javier fumbled when facing home crowds at their respective GPFs. Sotnikova seemed to feed off the energy at Sochi, especially at the FS when it was clear she was Russia's only hope for a medal at the ladies competition. The fact that Sotnikova was able to use that overwhelming support to fuel her instead of allowing the pressure to crush her showed her resilience and mental strength.

In Vancouver, I didn't cheer when Asada singled her 3T, thinking that Rochette would have a better chance at silver. And the audience gasped in dismay at the error, and then clapped to cheer her on, see 2:30 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=878_grgdn_00). THAT'S a good crowd. I'm always encouraging of skaters and don't like to see them make mistakes even if it betters the chances of Canadian skaters.

The Russian audiences were pretty bad -- they cheered when S/S fell in their FS, they practically cheered when Kim almost stumbled on her second lutz, they never gave standing ovaKostner, Kim or Asada (not that she had a full Russian crowd to watch her) they deserved but gave it to Sotnikova. In curling, the British women were annoyed that the Russian audience would cheer when they seemingly missed shots. And of course, the Russian crowd filing out of the men's competition when they found out Plushenko had withdrawn.


Compare:
4:55 of Sotnikova's LP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrVL5tM926s
5:15 of Kostner's LP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rghZERsRga4 (I mean a perfect skate... and a lukewarm ovation)
5:05 of Kim's LP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgXKJvTVW9g (LOL @ "So many others standing", cut to a shot of nobody standing)

I understand when a home country skater does well, people will cheer louder, but you only have to compare the Russians to crowds like Japan and Spain to see that the non-Russian skaters were facing a crowd that wouldn't be particularly excited if they skated successfully.

 

[cruzceleste]

Both Brians at the Brian wars! Nobody can blame them for falling, and they both were great!!!!

 

[kiara_bleu]

In Vancouver, I didn't cheer when Asada singled her 3T, thinking that Rochette would have a better chance at silver. And the audience gasped in dismay at the error, and then clapped to cheer her on, see 2:30 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=878_grgdn_00). THAT'S a good crowd. I'm always encouraging of skaters and don't like to see them make mistakes even if it betters the chances of Canadian skaters.

The Russian audiences were pretty bad -- they cheered when S/S fell in their FS, they practically cheered when Kim almost stumbled on her second lutz, they never gave standing ovaKostner, Kim or Asada (not that she had a full Russian crowd to watch her) they deserved but gave it to Sotnikova. In curling, the British women were annoyed that the Russian audience would cheer when they seemingly missed shots. And of course, the Russian crowd filing out of the men's competition when they found out Plushenko had withdrawn.

I understand when a home country skater does well, people will cheer louder, but you only have to compare the Russians to crowds like Japan and Spain to see that the non-Russian skaters were facing a crowd that wouldn't be particularly excited if they skated successfully.

Maybe it's because I watch and enjoy other sports like NBA basketball and tennis where fans are far more vocal and boisterous so I don't get so worked up about the audience showing bias Those athletes complain about them too sometimes, or at least acknowledge it, but for me part of the fun is seeing how they use the negative or positive vibe in the way they perform.

 

[cruzceleste]

Maybe it's because I watch and enjoy other sports like NBA basketball and tennis where fans are far more vocal and boisterous so I don't get so worked up about the audience showing bias Those athletes complain about them too sometimes, or at least acknowledge it, but for me part of the fun is seeing how they use the negative or positive vibe in the way they perform.

Well, while I do agree that some other sports enjoy of some trash talking or yelling, I never thought of figure skating as this kind of sport. (I also enjoy watching, futbol (football soccer), tennis (I have never heard someone yelling in the middel of an exchance), Formula 1 (I guess driver are more focus on the sound of their engines) and baseball).

 

[Vanshilar]

Maybe it's because I watch and enjoy other sports like NBA basketball and tennis where fans are far more vocal and boisterous so I don't get so worked up about the audience showing bias

There's a big difference between confrontational sports where different contenders are actively opposing each other (basketball, tennis, soccer, baseball, etc.) and sports where different contenders are competing individually to see who can do the best (figure skating, snowboarding, golfing, bowling, etc.), and this extends to how the audience participates. What's appropriate for one type of sport may not be appropriate for another, unless you feel it's appropriate for the "home crowd" to make loud noises when an "away" golfer is about to make a putt or a bowler is about to bowl, and for the "away" golfer to derive energy, enthusiasm, etc. from that as part of the sport.

Having said that, some of the talk about the audience is veering into conspiracy territory; sure, audiences are going to root for the home competitors more, but I have trouble believing that using mirrors to distract a skater has any practicality, given 1) the practical challenges of aiming a reflection onto a quickly moving target 2) the lighting typical at many sports arenas (many "small" lights, rather than one huge light, since a mirror will more or less only reflect a single light at the target) 3) how much it would affect the skater given that there's a lot of flash photography going on at these events already 4) the lack (at least that I'm aware of) of any image where a skater's face was noticeably brightened at the competition, given that there's a lot of network camera close-ups (and if it can't be seen on a close-up, how can someone in the stands know if they're succeeding or even pointing in the right direction?). Compare this with people using laser pointers at soccer matches, such as here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWcNHJ5B1nE .